about NCLEX pass rates...

LSRNgrad2008 · Sep 21, 2008

I'm a student who was just accepted at a local community college here in CA for the spring '09 RN class. I am elated..I just got the letter in the mail today! However, when I checked CA gov't website that listed NCLEX pass rates I saw they have one of the lowest scores in the state. 5 years ago they had 100%, this past year it has steadily declined to 67%.

That is an incredibly low pass rate. The schools that I had to choose from had pass rates in the high 90's. I would check around for sure.

Penguin67 · Sep 21, 2008

In my state, if a school goes below 80% for two quarters in a row, then the school must demonstrate to the Board of Nursing what steps are being taken to ensure NCLEX success. It happened to my program and we did a variety of things, such as added achievement testing (ATI) after each clinical course, stipulated a required grade on the exit exam (mini NCLEX) that must be achieved in order to graduate, implemented a no rounding of grades policy, developed a policy in which three faculty must proof and review all course exams, hosted several test construction workshops for faculty, etc... Of course, we also tightened up the admissions policy, to ensure that we were admititng people who were going to be successful.

So, if your school has a pass rate of 7%, I'm certain that the California Board of Nursing has noticed and has been in contact with the school regarding things that must be done in order to maintain their BON accreditation. That is usually between the board and the school and accreditation is kept as long as progress is noted. It also usually involves another site visit or two (ala JCAHO) to the school to see firsthand whatever improvements are being implemented.

As an instructor, I was told that the national NCLEX pass rate is around 82%. So 67% doesn't sound too good, but you can't always blame that on the school, as we prepare you, but it is the person that takes NCLEX, so there is some shared responsibility there. You don't know if the 67% is a one time deal or something that happens all the time. If you are concerned, call or e-mail the director of the program and ask about the pass rate and what is being done to increase it. The CA BON may be able to address your concerns, too.

You can also go to www.ncsbn.org (The National Council of State Board of Nursing), the agency that oversees the development the NCLEX, and members are the state boards of nursing.

Good luck!

Dinsey · Sep 21, 2008

My school is one of the most well-known in the state, but generally has a pass rate in the low 80s (most of the other schools, including community colleges, seem to be in the high 90s). The difference is in the amount of students who are returning to school after a career/lifetime on another track and our large number of students for whom English is not their native language.

Get in contact with the program and ask about the pass rate. There might be multiple factors to consider. And ask around your community - what kind of reputation does this program have? Can the admissions office put you in contact with a few alum that you can talk to?

Jules A, MSN · Sep 21, 2008

I've never been too concerned about pass rates. Just my opinion but I think that being prepared for boards is largely the responsibility of the individual student. In a perfect world where you could pick from your choice of a number of schools I would say investigate others however if the competition to get into a program is anything like it is here I'd say go for whatever one accepts you and is BON approved. IMO most of what we really know is learned on the job anyway. Good luck, it sounds like you are a great student and will be fine no matter where you get your education.

baturnedadn · Sep 21, 2008

I also just got accepted to Butte! Congratulations! I am going, even though the pass rate isn't what I want, and am glad to read above that it is dependent mainly on the student.

My TEAS score was a 90% and I had a 4.0 GPA for my prereqs, but I want to go to an ADN program so I can start working sooner and either step up online to a BSN or skip it because I have a BA in another field and want to go to graduate school eventually anyway.

Has anyone felt at a disadvantage from completing a RN in an ADN program and then working while getting a BSN?

Does anyone discourage going to a school with a worse pass rate even though it takes forever to get in most places? I got lucky and got in my first try, but I have heard some horror stories...

Riseupandnurse · Sep 22, 2008

One reason a school might have a low pass rate is that they retain students who aren't doing very well, work with them, and let them have their chance at the boards instead of failing them. This is just a possibility. It would be easy for any school to get a very high pass rate if they don't mind cutting out anyone who falters. Does that make it an excellent school? By the time you are studying for boards, anyway, it is on you as the individual to pull it all together. No school can do that for you.

ilstu99 · Sep 22, 2008

I think it's a fair question to ask your program director/coordinator. Maybe there's a very real reason that they've since adjusted. But maybe they've adopted the "not my problem" attitude, and you need to look elsewhere. If it were me, I'd rather ask before possibly wasting my time and money. There's a lot of truth in the notion of personal responsibility, but it can be difficult to try and figure out where your focus should be when no one tells you.

In my home state, two consecutive years of pass rates below 93% gets your program put on probation. A third year and you have to reapply for accreditation.

Greenapple167 · Sep 23, 2008

I also applied to Butte's program and was told that acceptance letter would not be mailed out until October 1!

I'm very excited for you guys who are accepted; hopefully, I get an acceptance letter too! :confused:

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 23, 2008

I agree with Disney's post above. Investigate before you make any final decisions. Ask the school for an explanation. What has changed to cause that drop? Also find out about the school's reputation -- not just from local alumni (who almost always say good things even about lousy schools) -- but from people in the nursing profession in a good position to give you an objective and knowledgable opinion.

bluemalibu · Jan 2, 2009

A big reason for the low NCLEX success rate is probably due to Butte's acceptance criteria being based on a lottery system, rather than GPA based. (A minimum qualifying GPA of 2.5 is required, and only one science pre-req may be retaken). So many students of less than stellar scholastic standing may occupy the program's seats.

Butte is renowned for their instructors devoting out-of-classroom assistance and coming in Saturday/Sunday for open-lab help, to support student success... so, if you fail, it is not due to an instructor here topedoing you!

09nurse · Jan 3, 2009

Thank you for your input, I'm so pleased to hear about the dedication of the instructors there. I believe that really is a key element to success. Actually, dedication on both ends of the spectrum! I have a few friends who will be attending this spring, I was accepted but then I also received an invitation to Sac City Extended Campus ADN program. I withdrew from Butte and took the other because the commute is a little less stressful and the other is an accelerated program with the schooling paid for by Sutter Health.

Needless to say school for me starts in 4 days and I am certainly nervous! I'm going to go be a sponge and literally soak up all the info I can. Thanks for your reply, I'll keep your words of advice forefront in my mind! Have a great new year!

Sincerely, Carrie